Accelerator looks to help entrepreneurs

That’s the goal of a new program — dubbed Accelerator — that a group of Seattle business leaders are starting this fall.

The idea: provide entrepreneurs with a support group and a series of intensive classes on what it takes to grow a business.

The Accelerator program, not to be confused with the biotechnology incubator in Seattle of the same name, is being offered for the first time here by members of the local chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

BuddyTV co-founder David Niu, who along with business partner Andy Liu has been instrumental in getting the effort up and running, said entrepreneurs often need someone to talk to.

“It is lonely at the top and you sometimes want someone to commiserate with,” said Niu, who describes the new program as a “crash course mini MBA.”

Typically, founders can’t join the Entrepreneurs’ Organization unless they have more than $1 million in revenue or have raised more than $2 million in venture capital. But that excludes a lot of entrepreneurs.

“We know that it is hard to get to that level,” said Niu. “And once you get to that level sometimes you don’t need as much help.”

In order to address that group of entrepreneurs, the organization started hosting networking events and classes in cities such as Charlotte and Detroit.

To qualify, entrepreneurs must have $250,000 in sales and be under the age of 47. Cost is $1,000, which entitles students to four classes throughout the year and access to local members of the organization.

All of the events and organizations are an important part of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Seattle. That exists in places like Silicon Valley, but Niu said it is still emerging here as the market matures.

“In terms of sheer volume, you just can’t beat Silicon Valley. There is a lot of depth and networks there from the local universities and so forth,” he said. “As an outsider, since I didn’t grow up in Seattle, it was hard for me to find peers. This was a way of finding peers who were like minded.”

To apply, entrepreneurs can send an e-mail to Accelerator@eoseattle.org or visit http://www.eoseattle.org/.